This season’s events feature practices navigating the legacies and possibilities of American infrastructure, from ecological systems and transit hubs to community facilities and social networks.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is a collective of architects, designers, engineers, and planners founded in Chicago in 1936. With 11 studios across the globe, the firm is engaged in a wide set of international projects, ranging in scale from urban master plans to furniture design. Its portfolio includes numerous large-scale transportation initiatives, spanning international airports, central train stations, and strategic plans for urban transit systems. In its own words, “SOM’s designs anticipate change in the way we live, work and communicate, and have brought lasting value to communities around the world.” 

Completed projects include: 

• Toronto Pearson International Airport – Terminal 1, a new main terminal and a phased redevelopment plan for Pearson’s airfield, maintenance, and cargo facilities
• Denver Union Station, the conversion of 20 acres of former rail yards into a regional transportation center
• Moynihan Train Hall, a major rail hub in a transformed Beaux Arts post office building adjacent to Penn Station.

Current and upcoming projects include: 

• Kansas City International Airport New Terminal, a one-million-square-foot terminal that constitutes the largest single infrastructure project in the region’s history
• Kempegowda International Airport – Terminal 2, a new air travel hub in Bengaluru, India, inspired by the city’s historic gardens
• High Line – Moynihan Train Hall Connector, a 1,200-foot-long linear park that connects Moynihan Train Hall, Manhattan West, and the High Line.